Maung Thwey Chun - Explanation of the Five Thousand Religions

The life-long teachings of the venerable Maha Si Sayadaw

The Sixth Sangha and the Mahasi Sayadaw

The Sanghayana is very important for the purity and spread of the religion. The two supporting factors for the Sanghayana are as important as the veins and arteries in the human body. No matter how rich a country is, it is not easy to be filled with the Dhamma and the Dhamma. Myanmar, which has just emerged from the ashes of independence, is full of generosity and devotion, even though the country is poor.

Of the six councils held in Buddhist history, the fifth and sixth were held in Myanmar. The Fifth Council was held in Mandalay during the reign of King Mindon in the year 2415. 83 years after the Fifth Council was held

The Sixth Council was held in Myanmar again. After the Fifth Council, during the reign of King Thibaw, Myanmar fell into the colonial and servile life of the British. During his servitude, Buddhism on the land of Myanmar was weakened. It had to decline. It had to wither. Therefore, eight years after the country gained independence,

The Sixth Council of Elders was held amidst the rising tide of colored rebels.

The Sixth Sangha was held to revive and purify the Buddha Dharma, which had been tarnished by his slavery, with the independence of Myanmar. The Sixth Sangha was also the culmination of the 2500th Buddhist Sangha Festival. The Sixth Sangha was held in the year 2948 at the Mahapathana Cave Temple in Rangoon with 2,500 monks from five Theravada Buddhist countries (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia).

The three leading monks of the Sixth Great Council were

1, Nyaungram Sayadaw Buddha, the great sage,

2, Maha Si Sayadaw U Soban

3. Mingun Sayadaw U Wisitthasara Bhiwansa,

Nyaungram Sayadaw is a great monk who is respected by the Haddha sect. Mahasi Sayadaw was only 50 years old when the Sixth Sangha was convened. He was a holder of the Agga Maha Pandita title and served as the Ameya (Punnaka) Sayadaw at the Sixth Sangha. Mingun Sayadaw was only 43 years old when the Sixth Sangha was convened. He was a holder of the Agosana Pitaka Dhammabhatta Garika title and served as the Aaula (Visajaka) Sayadaw.

The great monk appeared like the sun and moon in the sky as he recited the Sixth Meditation. At first, they doubted whether he was a meditating monk. Yes, he was.

Before the Sixth Sanghayana, Mahasi Sayadaw had already become famous as a meditation monk (or) a meditation teacher of Vipassana. During the Sixth Sanghayana, he was also able to prove his literary merit. The printing of the Sixth Sanghayana Pitakas as a book was also supervised and edited by Mahasi Sayadaw.

Maha Si Sayadaw, who was famous as a meditation monk in Shwebo, became particularly famous in the Buddhist world of Myanmar with the Sixth Sangha.

In the village of Seik Khun, 7 miles from Shwebo, the birthplace of the great king U Aung Zeya, Maha Si Laung Lian was born to his father U Kan Daw and mother Daw Ok on Friday, the 3rd day of the second full moon of Waso (July 29, 1904) in the year 1266. The year when Sayadaw Laung Lian was born, the entire Shwebo district had good rains, and the rice, beans, and corn crops had never been harvested before, and there was a special increase in production. Sayadaw Laung Lian’s birth was a sign that the world would prosper. Therefore, the women of the entire village of Seik Khun came to the fire room of the great mother and gathered around the baby Sayadaw Laung Lian, talking and praising him, and it was a sign that he would become famous in the world.

Sayadaw Laung Lya had seven siblings, and Sayadaw Laung Lya was the second son. His maiden name was Maung Thwin. At the age of 12, he received the blessing of the Venerable Adisatha Thera and became a monk. Because of his good voice and personality, he was given the title “Shin So Bana”.

Even during his life as a monk, he taught and practiced the Ten Great Chapters of Vinayaka Pali, Vinayaka Atthakatha, Kaccissa Saddha, Abhidhamma Sangaha, Padarupa Siddhi, and Mukhamatta Deepani, so that he could travel as fast as a horse. He carried the commentary book with a bow. He learned many scriptures from the Venerable Asara and the Venerable Paramasacha. He learned English to a certain extent from the Venerable Sandima. Having learned the Vibha Pali, Atthakatha, and the original commentary, he attained the noble life of a monk at the age of 19 years and 4 months, on Monday, the 4th day of the full moon of Tasangmone, in the year 1285.

With the help of the monk Dayaka U Aung Baw and the monk Dayikama Daw Thit, he performed the ablutions of the Supreme Patriarch, Venerable Nimmala Maha Thera, at the Inkyin Tora Temple, and was ordained as a monk with the blessings of the Kammawa monks, including Venerable Parama Maha Thera, and 35 Karaka monks.

The great sage Launglya, who continued to learn the eight precepts from the venerable Sobhanaha, strengthened the foundation of his sila, which was his foundation. He kept it intact, unbroken, and unbroken. Four months after his ordination, Sobhanaha began the practice of meditation. Meditation is indeed a difficult and painful practice, but it also calms the defilements. Before receiving alms, the monk Launglya performed the five great rituals of meditation, the Setiyangana Vut, the Bodhiyangana Vut, and then touched the image of the Buddha with the five great gestures.

``The mind is the source of the mind, the mind is the source of the mind''

"I renounce all the benefits that are beyond the alms-giving." This is the essence of the monk who used to wander around for the sake of alms. He used to go around receiving alms, having made the vow of Amabanda. From the very beginning of his monkhood, he was endowed with a reverent appearance.

It was.

Venerable Mahasilaunglya Sayadaw was revered not only by humans but also by deities because he practiced the auspicious practices of Pattapikadhutin (giving alms in one cup or bowl), Rukkhamudhutin (remaining under a tree), and Ekasanaikdhutin (giving alms in one go) even when he was young.

Even before becoming a monk, Ashin Sobana successfully passed the first junior examination of the government. He passed the first junior examination of the Bhikkhu Patimauk, Saddha Sagaha, Kakha Rupa Siddhi, Kika Kyaw, and Matika Dhatu Katha. As a monk, when his mother passed away, he did not feel any special sorrow, but he could reflect on the death of his mother and the deceased.

Ashin Sobana continued his efforts in literary pursuits and in 1288 he successfully passed the first intermediate examination in Yangon and the first intermediate examination in Shwebo. He also successfully passed the Vinayak Pali translation competition held in Saikhun village, where he easily translated the four Vinayak volumes.

In 1290, the venerable monk Sobhanahara arrived at Khinmakan Monastery, west of Mandalay, and spent three months there, studying under the monks Indasabhiwansa and Changyi Taksachachaw. After studying for more than a year, he returned to his village, Zartipkhun, and taught the Dhamma to his father U Kamtaw and his relatives.